The Blade of Lucius
by KG Entertainment Division
Summary: When they finally came out, we were all instantly in love with all of the 7* starters *cough* Selena *cough*, but confusion was cast on each of us, as we saw that one by one, each of our beloved heroes perished by the blade of one 'mysterious knight'. Who might our mystery man be hmm? Naturally, I have my own theories, and a story to go with them, come on in and check them out!
1. The Fire Hero Snuffed Out

Author's Note: Good day everybody! It's been awhile, I've been dealing with some issues but I've been trying to get back into the swing of things. I've currently got 5 (Count 'em), 5 stories that I'm working on (The ambition is real) two of which being the next chapters for Zelnite and Narza, and the other three being their own new stories/series. And one of those three would be this, to commemorate the official ***SPOILERS*** Quest mode announcement that the Dark Figure is in fact this mysterious Ark character ***SPOILER END* **I decided that I wanted to go into detail on exactly how it is that this mysterious knight managed to single-handedly (Or so he claims) slayed all six of the Heroes of Legend. In a rapid-fire Week-Long Lore-er-ific (Patenting this) extravaganza, I'll be releasing a chapter a week on the fall of each of our beloved starters, and just what brought them to the reactions they had when encountering Ark.

I still don't own Brave Frontier, maybe one of these days I'll pull an Ark on their writers, and then I'll be pulling the strings in the writing department, who knows?

**ENJOY! DAY 1 ~ Vargas**

The Fire Hero Snuffed Out

The battle was raging in full now, the war cries of men fighting for both the survival and end of humanity mingling in the air and drowning each other out. Cannons fired, spells were flung, explosions and eruptions followed swiftly in their wake. The incessant stamping of steel-clad feet pounded against the ground every waking second. All of it , every bit of sound, crashed into itself and produced an almost eerie emptiness to it all, a wordless, soundless mass that hung heavier than the air itself, heavier even than the armor each and every man wore.

And at the center of it all, Vargas, the hero of Agni, legendary wielder of fire, wept. Before him sat the bloody, butchered corpse of a small green haired girl. Gathered around the corpse were all of her animal friends, all docile deer, squirrels, bears, foxes, every creature of the forest was there it seemed, silently mourning her loss. It was almost laughable, to see such a sight in the middle of a battlefield, and one particular man surely would've, if he wasn't on an important mission already.

His name was and relatively frail in appearance, he surveyed the scene before him, noting the plethora of wounds that Vargas had incurred in his battle with the small girl, deciding that now was the time. In his right hand he held his prized divine sword a gift form Lucius, it's blade was plain gray-black steel, its hilt was etched with runes that glowed with a dull blue light. He wore light plate armor over his rusty-orange tunic and blue riding pants. His brown hair was slick with exertion, this was the first of the last of those he'd need to kill, and he had no idea what kind of power the wounded hero yet possessed. He moved in regardless.

"Tell me, oh hero of Agni, did that feel good? Is it satisfying to know that you've ended the life of one so young? A girl who wished for nothing more than for men like you to leave her and her forests alone?" Vargas lifted his face from his hands, anger and misery crossing his face in equal measure at the strangers words.

"And who're...who're you huh? Who do you think you are judging me!?" But Ark ignored him, continuing on.

" She was dragged into this conflict, she was no better than a simple farmhand, a victim in this pitiless war. So please, tell me, how does her blood taste?"

That did it.

Vargas leapt at Arc with a sudden ferocity, his famed blade Dandelga drawn and poised. Arc dodged the first brutal stab at his throat and took up a ready stance. Vargas struck precisely, savagely, it was the rage of a guilty conscience, and Ark intended fully to capitalize on that. "What's the matter Vargas? Trying to prove something? It won't bring her back you know, no matter how hard you hit, nothing will bring her back." The fire hero struck at Ark with his wings, engulfed in flames and just as deadly as the rest of him. "Oh, poor dear, using your wings to fight me. How's it feel knowing that your lover died for those wings? What's it like walking with a constant reminder of your failure to protect your loved ones sprouting from your back?" That struck a nerve, crossing blades, Vargas forced Arc's guard down, before delivering a powerful punch directly to the knight's nose.

"Who are you! How do you know any of this!"

Not even flinching, Arc grappled Vargas to get a firm hold on Dandelga, pulling himself in close enough to speak in the fire legend's ear, out of reach of those wings.

"I'm a disciple of Lucius my dear boy, I know everything he knows. And he knows how heavy those wings really are for you." A savage cry tore from Vargas' throat as he wrenched against Arc's grip with all his might, but Arc continued speaking regardless, summoning all his willpower not to slug the hero of Agni for laying a hand on him. " You know, Lucius sits as high king of the gods now, I can organize for you to be with her again…" He let that statement hang in the air, and he felt the grip Vargas held on Dandelga go slack, he smiled wickedly, it was done.

"You...you can?" The fire hero's voice quavered as he spoke, so trusting, so naïve. The poor man smiled.

"Yes...yes I can Vargas, you can be at ease now, Lucius sits as high king, and the last of the God's Army lies dead at your feet. The war is all but over, you've done your part, a reward is in order."

"I can see her, I can see Lava again, I can tell her I'm sor-" And that was as far as the Hero of Agni got, as his own blade was thrust into his side, piercing straight through his heart.

"Yes, yes you can, It may be awhile though my friend, she's not dead yet after all, I'll work on that though, not to worry." Arc drank in the look of pure unbridled fury that briefly crossed the dying man's features, before his body went slack. He slowly lowered the corpse of the fire hero to the ground, leaving Dandelga buried in his side. "One down, five to go."

**...**

So there we have it, very short compared to most of my works, they'll get longer, I assure you. This is but a taste of what's to come dear readers. So, as always, please do leave a comment, any criticisms you have, anything I left out, let me know who your favorite starters are, whatever you like, I'm ready and willing to listen to any opinions and feedback. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in tomorrow, for the Shattering of the Ice Queen!


	2. The Ice Queen Shattered

**Alright, howdy everyone! Day 2 of the Lore-a-thon, not much to add today, so without further ado..**

**ENJOY! DAY 2 ~ Selena**

The Ice Queen Shattered

Even gods bleed.

It was this small fragment of hope that the Savat people had clung to as they followed their chief Selena into battle. And it was with that same thought that they each perished, their final breaths a blessing to their beloved leader, that she might free Grand Gaia from tyranny. At least they died with hope, it was what humanity did best, they never gave up hope.

Selena sobbed, they'd entrusted her, loved her, and she'd let them all die. She was no hero to Sama, she'd barely been able to keep herself alive, and she'd let those she'd sworn to protect die. It no longer mattered what she did in this war, she'd already failed. Her hands were cracked, gnarled claws fro the long hours she'd clung to Lexida. The voices haunted her, whispering from within the blade, the voices of her people that cheered her on even in death. Their blood soaked the cold earth, mingling with that of the gods they'd died fighting.

There was only one thing left for her, she would move on, she would challenge this God's Army that the human's fought even now, across the fields before her. Maybe she'd even see Vargas one last time, she could entrust him with her people's safety when she was gone. And with any luck, she would die, and finally be free of the burdens that had been thrust on her all her life.

"DIE!" A shrill voice suddenly assaulted Selena's ears, followed quickly by an agonizingly painful blast to her back that knocked her from her kneeling position in the dirt, onto her face. Adrenaline surged in her, she spun about so she lay on her back, throwing her hands out, great pillars of ice shot forth from the ground. Three enormous fireballs rained down upon her, the pillars rising just in the nick of time to block the magic, but to her dismay the shafts of ice instantly evaporated as they were struck.

Looking above her to the source, she spotted a peculiar sight. A petite, violet haired girl floated above her atop a flying broom, the handle of which was carved in the shape of a snarling dragon's head, its hollow eyes radiated golden fire. Clutched in the dragon's 'teeth' was a small red lantern, inside of which burned a small flame, which moved and jumped about in the cage, alive as the broom was it seemed. On her shoulder was perched a perfectly round tomcat, it's dark fur matted and charred from the fires that licked over its form. The girl wore a red triangular hat, its surface laced with golden flame patterns, the same scheme was prominent on her shirt and armor. Her pale pink eyes bore nothing but rage for Selena, it was utterly terrifying.

Fire began raining down on her, blown straight from the tomcat's mouth it seemed. Selena threw out her arms, more of they icy pillars rising to meet the flames. They burst beneath the assault, throwing great clouds of steam into the air. Selena struggled to her feet, glancing all around her for signs of the girl. Voices taunted her from the mist though she couldn't fathom who they belonged to. Was it paranoia consuming her?

"What's wrong sweet cheeks? Ya Scared?"

"Ya look so cold in all that ice, why dontcha come over here and I'll, warm ya up…"

"Ya gonna run scared aintcha?"

She didn't know why she was so afraid of the girl, what could she do? Kill her? She'd planned a suicide mission anyway, done it easily, but she'd always assumed she'd be taken out by an unseen opponent, that she'd not even notice it when it finally happened. In a panic, she sank to a crouch, placing her hands on her head, in a tight circle about her, eight pillars of ice shot up out of the earth and encased her.

There was a long moment of silence as she sat there, safely nestled in her little bubble, where even the song of war and death couldn't reach her. Then came a sudden thump! as something heavy slammed into the ice. Daring to look up from her daze she found the tomcat, splayed rather comically before her. It's small round form nearly flattened against the ice, its tongue rolled out, stuck to the ice, anchoring it to the pillar. Selena had to stifle a laugh at the sight, but then the cat began glowing. It's opened mouth began to glow a bright orange, and in moments a jet of flame erupted from the critter, bathing the ice in heat, swiftly burning through

the crystal in a small circle, just wide enough for the cat to fit through.

It burst into her little panic room, causing her to shriek. She struck out with Lexida, managing to land a grazing blow against the intruder, who yowled in pain. It hovered over her, just out of reach of her round form began expanding, growing dangerously large, more magical flames licking over it's body. It's golden eyes began to glow brightly, turning on her, it's tiny little mouth turned up in a wicked grin.

"So long, sweet cheeks!" It said suddenly, startling Selena, and then everything went white as the cat exploded.

…

Ark stalked onto the small plain where the Savats were said to have been summarily killed, nurturing his broken nose, muttering curses to Agni under his breath. The air seemed noticeably colder here than the rest of the battlefield, probably on account of the hero that should currently be located there. Panning his eyes briefly over the battlefield, he was pleased to note that indeed, the ground was littered with the dead of Savat, their electric blue hair the tell-tale signs of the slaughter. At the center of the field stood a monolith of ice, comprised of about a dozen solid pillars converging on one point. He spotted the witch girl, Ulkina was her name, hovering overhead, muttering incantations, her breath steaming up in the air as she waved her wand at the monolith. Curious, Ark peered closer to the crystal, and gaped as he saw the Ice Queen Selena, crouched at the center of the cluster, perhaps she'd drawn up a protective shell so she could nurse her wounds?

"So, Hero of Sama, show me your secrets, what will I have to do to end you?" Ulkina shouted something overhead, making a grand whipping motion with her wand, there was a moment where the air went still around them, and then the ice burst from within in a plume of white light. "Or perhaps it will be Ulkina that does you in? Perhaps you aren't as formidable as I was lead to believe." Laying low on the hill he found himself on, Ark watched patiently as the battle unfolded before him.

…

Selena's head spun from the force of the blast, her vision went glassy and bleak, her chest felt like it had been crushed, and a lancing pain shot through her skull as her ears rang. The concussive force had shot her to the ground, but she found not the strength in her arms nor the proper vision to do anything about it. There was a paralyzing pain radiating over her form, shooting from searing to freezing back and forth in the breadth of seconds, she recognized it, she'd almost died again. She'd felt the same sensation the day she'd plunged Lexida into her own heart, and her fallen brethren had forced it out of her, forbidding her from even dying. She heard a deep snarling somewhere overhead, unable to move her arms just yet, she rocked herself until she rolled over to lay on her back. Overhead she saw the witch atop her dragon broom, which seemed to be the object growling down at her, smoke seething from its maw, she didn't need to face off against another of the girl's creations anytime soon, she wouldn't make it.

"So, Narza was right...That sword of yours protects you from death. But, it'll only work once in a fight, so I'll make sure that this one ends you. But first…" The girl pulled forth a slender wand, waving it once, the air around her fizzled and sparked, and the round cat suddenly popped into existence once more, grinning devilishly at Selena. "Terribly sorry about that Ping, but you understand right?" The cat gave her a slight purr of agreement, nuzzling her affectionately. "And as for you, Ice Queen, this time, I'll make sure that sword of yours has nothing left to save, DRAGON'S GARDEN!"

The broom head opened its maw, and a spray of unholy green and black flames poured forth. The flames were alive, forming in midair to the shape of an actual, ferocious dragon's head, which struck out, opening its fiery jaws, ready to consume her. Selena had no hope of blocking the attack, she could only close her eyes, and await the darkness.

"SELENA!" Came a familiar voice's cry. The darkness didn't come, instead, a distinct thump was heard. Selena cracked one eye open, and found a body lying before her. Selena dropped Lexida at her feet, blood from the corpse's open wound spilling down over the rose at its hilt. She knew that tail and those wings anywhere, but it couldn't be…  
When the war struck Grand Gaia, Lucina and Captain Mega, Lucina's father, had been the only solace and guidance she had. They'd grown up together, and when Mega was slain in battle, it was only the two of them. Now, now she just had to go and play the hero, had to go and leave her alone in the world again, a leader without her people...what good was she? Her friend's luxurious bladed wings splayed out about her, her scaly, midnight-blue tail coiling about her as well. Her aquamarine eyes had been open when she'd faced the flames, they were scorched, almost liquid at this point, a grisly sight, and her hair was burnt to a crisp at her scalp as well. She'd been dead the second she'd been hit.

"Lucina….LUCINA!" Selena lifted her friends head, sobbing even harder now than she had before, she clutched Lucina's head to her breast, her mind blank save for the anguish she felt at the loss, Lucina had been the last pillar holding Selena together, now…

"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! Oh that's rich, I get a two for one!" The girl cackled, unmoved by woman's death.

"Yeah!" The broom agreed, "how many lives 'ave you got in you ya pus- "

The bloody rose at Lexida's hilt began to glow with a blinding silver light, which extended down, soon engulfing the whole of the blade. The very ground around the blade crystallized, the blood of her people rising, freezing around her, into massive, pearly red roses that hovered about her; physical idols of her pain and misery. Her gaze was stony, her mind devoid of all but one thought, and one thought alone as the voice of her last remaining friend was added to those entrapped within her blade, revenge.

"Hoo boy," the flame whistled.

"We're dead," the broom agreed.

"Pleasure knowin' ya Ulkina," the cat chimed in.

"What're you three on abou-"

The ground beneath Ulkina erupted, a single, immense pillar of frozen blood shot forth. Eyes widening, the witch waved her wand, summoning a fountain of flame that dwarfed even that of the dragon broom, but the ice was unstoppable now, bulling through the flames like they were mere paper. It shattered the broom and fire on contact, impaling Ulkina before she could so much as squeak. It didn't stop at that though, an entire array of ice shards shot out from the main pillar, the girl's frail little body torn apart as each of the millions of crystals caused her body to burst from within, spraying blood, meat, and bits of bone in all directions. Now, only the cat remained.

"HOLY SHI-" another crystal offshoot tore into its side, fire began spraying from the open wound, the force of it sending the critter flying off in the direction of the battlefield, careening through the air like a spent balloon.

The blood lust had passed now, leaving a very hollow depression in her chest. Selena observed her handiwork, her stomach churned at the sight, she had several chunks of bone clinging to her dress, had she really just done that? She avenged her friend, but there was no satisfaction, and so she realized, the gods had already won. Even before their victories, the gods had already turned the humans against one another, they would slaughter each other, there was no hope for them in this war at this rate, there would be no winners, only more death.

"Bravo, Ice Queen."

A man approached her, clapping his gloved hands slowly, she drew Lexida on him, causing him to back away slightly, hands raised. " I am not your enemy, Hero of Sama." His voice was like silk, soothing, the kind of voice that seemed to understand all the troubles you had ever endured, and respected you all the more for it, she caught herself unconsciously lowering her weapon, pointing it at his throat.

"Who are you?"

"My name, is Ark, and I am a disciple of Lucius, he has sent me here today." Selena was dubious, unwilling to completely trust the man yet, but she didn't attack. Yet.

"To what end does he send you, Sir Ark?"

"Lucius," he sighed," I regret to inform you dear, that he had requested that I send the assassin that you've just dealt with. You see, Ulkina here was a member of the God's Army, part of their core group actually. Our reasoning being, if we can but break the backbone of both sides of this war, then Lucius can usher in a new age of peace in Grand Gaia, with him king among the gods, heralding an era of good relations, you understand." Selena wavered, the knights words made sense certainly, make it so both sides had but one being to turn to, but they struck a cord nonetheless. Lucius, the high king of the gods, wanted her and the girl to kill each other. Maybe it was for the best...but wait….

"What about Lucina! She was innocent in this! She didn't need to die, surely you could have stopped her, if you are a disciple of Lucius as you claim to be!"

"He, yes, the Daughter of the Sea. I would've stopped her, but who was to say whether or not she would've taken up your blade in your stead? Either way, she would've had to die eventually, better that have been with you." Selena despised the ease with which Ark spoke, as if Lucina meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, as if it were perfectly natural to weigh the worth of a human by actions they may or may not take.

"I will NEVER forgive you."

"I understand, and I don't ask that you do. But please," Ark drew a simple knife from his side, clutching it reverently in both hands as he knelt before her," if I may, allow me to ease your burdens, dear Selena. My actions have inflicted even more pain upon you, and heaped but heavier burdens upon your shoulders, please, your people, your loved ones, they call out for you, let me relieve you of your sorrows." Selena didn't respond, staring at the knife in Ark's hands, unsure of whether she wanted to take it from him and plunge it into his throat, or into her own. But...her role was done, such was the will of Lucius, and she had not the will to continue, when all that mattered in the world lay dead at her feet, so with trembling hands, she allowed Lexida to fall free of her grasp, and she nodded once, unable to bring herself to speak again. "Thank you, then please, lie yourself on the ground, beside this Lucina, if it pleases you." She nodded, liking the idea. She settled herself on the cold earth, taking one of Lucina's gloved hands in her own, she nodded again to Ark, and closed her eyes.

"Chief Selena," he began, she opened her eyes, surprised that he chose not to simply just end it. "Leader of the mighty Savat People, I lay you down now, with your mythic blade Lexida," she felt the cold steel of Lexida being pressed into her other hand, the man knew the burial ritual of the Savat? It felt eerie, still being alive to listen to it. He continued, "I do so, in the hope that it may serve you in shepherding your people, even in death. You have been strong, when other great men have broken under this war's strains. The sword in your heart shall never break, it has bent and shaken, but still it has held, with all the strength and flexibility of the molten iron that flows in your veins." Selena smiled, that she would have this final kindness in her final moments, she noted how Ark's plain face scrunched up in concentration, bringing her attention to his nose; utterly destroyed it seemed, recently as well, as if it had been pounded by a horse's stamping foot. She decided then to close her eyes, to draw away from the present, and drift away to the sound of his voice. " May you find your eternal peace, following your people, free of the pains that shackled you in life. Another star shines in the sky tonight for you, and it shall be all the more beautiful forever more thanks to it. Goodbye, Ice Queen Selena." He slid the knife between her ribs and into her heart, angled just so so that she wouldn't feel a thing.

Unable to resist, Ark leaned in close to the serene face before him. His voice was harsh now, devoid of the compassion and warmth it held before.

"And once you and those other damned heroes are dead, I will be as a god, and by Lucius' side, I shall help to usher in a new age of the gods, when the humans are bent to our every whim, to the will of their savior, the god, and his disciple, who ended the war. The TRUE heroes," Her eyes shot open, the last of their life bleeding away, twisted in a delicious expression of fury. "Sh sh sh...be still dear, your people await," he forced her eyes closed while she still drew breath, the compassion, no, the facade, was back in an instant, she couldn't fight, and then she was still.

"Four to go. I shall not disappoint you, Lord Lucius.

**...**

Day 2, done. As always, please do leave a comment, any criticisms you have, anything I left out, let me know who your favorite starters are, whatever you like, I'm ready and willing to listen to any opinions and feedback. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in tomorrow, for Day 3 : Swallowed by the Earth.


	3. Swallowed By The Earth

**Everybody give it up for day 3 of nonstop lore! Man, gotta be said the new season of Frontier Hunter almost kept me from finishing this in time, but I managed to push through. So now everybody, sit back, and enjoy our all-time favorite wanna-be-tree man...**

**ENJOY! DAY 3 ~ Lance**

Swallowed By The Earth

Lance couldn't remember what it felt like not to have termites in his ass.

Drevas was a constant draining force on his mind, sapping him of the strength to move the weight that quite literally grew on his shoulders with every passing day. It didn't help that over the course of the years he'd had it, he'd become quite literally inseparable from his namesake weapon, the roots that sprouted from its handle now fused to his very arm.

Currently, the Hero of Vriksha found himself seated in a small grove, gazing up at the great World Tree a hundred paces ahead of him, it's brilliant leaves shining every color of the spectrum beneath the light of the sun. He was meditating, many had advised him, over the course of his travels, to never stop to rest; immobility would only increase the power Drevas had over him, as his body wouldn't as actively resist it. He found the opposite to be true however, the less he moved, and the less he sapped his own strength, the slower Drevas could work, And that was without a doubt the worst part of Drevas, it didn't ask, it just took things from him, he couldn't stop Drevas from feeding its power into him, replacing his strength with its own, it consumed him in every way it could, with everything he did.

He still remembered when he'd first stumbled upon the Demon Pike in one of his family's storehouses. It had been but a rusty old spike of metal at the time, but it beckoned to him; he'd always wanted to join the Vrikshan military, to protect others from the dangers of the world, but his family strictly forbade him. ' The military is no place for a young lord', they'd tell him, so one day, pike in hand, he'd run away to train on his own. It would be several years before Lance realized that, Drevas actually HAD beckoned to him.

Even now, the spear whispered to him, giving him breaths of its power, like morning dew in the air; just enough to be tangible, to let you know that it's there, and just enough to make you lust for more. It was enough that Lance found himself craving more, and in his younger years, he had given into these temptations, had taken and used Drevas' power to accomplish magnificent feats. But no more, he'd conditioned himself, steeled his will, he needed to last until the end of the war at least, if his people were ever in need and he'd already passed on….No, he would never forgive himself if such a thing were to happen.

The pain was excruciating though, that was one of the tricks, Drevas could inflict unimaginable pain on its host, and drinking of its limitless pool of power could ease the pain, at the expense of one's own life. He'd been the first, at least by what he could find of Drevas' previous recorded hosts, to successfully hold out for so long against its unbending will. As such, the Demon Pike had taken to him, seeing him as a challenge, a mighty steed to be broken in, and it took great pleasure in breaking him, very slowly, day by day, it would have its prize.

His flesh had slowly turned gnarled, stiff and scaled. Around his arms, where the takeover was more complete, his skin had the consistency of bark, it was even growing its own moss in some places. Insects of all kinds crawled and buzzed over his skin, for the most part this didn't bother him, after all he'd lost any vestiges of squeamishness a long time ago. But, then there were the damned termites, not even Drevas' tortures could equate to the pain that they inflicted. Lance shuddered to think where they might burrow to next.

…

Rowgen slung his rifle, Thorn, over his shoulder, gazing down at the living tree that was his quarry. This Lance fellow, he had branches and gnarled roots coiling around just about every limb, it seemed familiar almost. They twirled back around him, meeting at his back where they rose up over his head, hanging like a canopy over him, a great pale blue light hovering at the center of the cluster, pulsing gently. The hero was quite literally rooted to the ground, his days of threatening the gods were over.

But that wasn't to say that Rowgen was permitted to take it easy on the fellow, he had a job to carry out, and he'd not have his record tarnished by somebody so polite as to stand permanently in one position to accept a sniper round in the head. Lance wasn't even facing him, it would be too easy, but he couldn't take his target lightly, a wounded animal is the most dangerous kind. Removing the heavy black shield from his back, he plunged it into the ground at his feet, taking up a crouch behind the makeshift cover. He lined up his laser sight with the back of Lance's head. He held his breath, locking his target to the count of three, observing for any possible shift in movement before he took the shot.

As he gazed at the back of the Vrikshan Hero's head, something clicked in Rowgen's head, he'd seen the green-haired man before. It was the same man who had single-handedly foiled one of his operations back when he was part of the Atharvan National Army, when he was tasked with poisoning the World Tree, Lance, a boy then, had siphoned the deadly toxins from the tree's roots, taking it unto himself. Rowgen had imagined that such an experience would've at least seen Lance killed. It was an oversight he'd have to remedy immediately it seemed. He pulled the trigger.

…

Drevas began drawing on Lance's power again, he grimaced, annoyed at the interruption to his meditations . The Demon Pike tugged at his conscious mind, trying to convince him to take more of its strength, clearly it was anticipating something, but he paid it no heed. The lance would use any excuse it could find, any disturbance to convince him that he would need its protection, even the most minor things, it distorted his perception to seem monstrous, But he would not partake of its power again, he had no use for such trivialities, what use did he have for power now?

A blast thundered across his little clearing, he grunted as the branches that held his body down tightened around him, threatening to strangle what little humanity was left in him, It strained behind him, tugging him slightly from his position, as if it wanted to tear free from his body, wanting to intercept something that he clearly wasn't able to see himself. He reached out with his mind to the branches and vines that fought against him, willing them back to him; he'd not have Drevas taking control of his body so easily. This proved detrimental to himself though, as moments later he was suddenly struck with splintering force by a small bullet, which lodged itself in his shoulder blade, throwing up a spray of thick, amber blood, which had taken on a sappy consistency as of late. The bullet itself wasn't what did the most damage to him, he despaired as instantly he felt Drevas begin to work, new bark like skin grew over the wound, sealing it and replacing it, continuing its work of making him more plant than man. Flowers and weeds sprung up in the wake of the round, it was agonizing, their instant sprouting forcing their roots to dig under his skin, drawing sustenance directly from his own life.

With great difficulty, he turned himself, glancing all around him to hopefully catch a glimpse of the shooter. A slight flash from his right, he wasn't fast enough to stop Drevas from willing the plants around him forwards, they formed up a barrier between him and the next bullet that tore through the air at him. He watched as the long arms were suddenly shattered, splintering into a thick brown cloud as the second bullet destroyed them. He doubled over again as Drevas used his life force to replenish the branches, which grew out before his very eyes with a sick grinding noise. Grimacing, he wiped sap from his mouth, his eyes locking on the shooter at last, noting from the distance, only a distinct black disk, easily visible against the green and brown background, and the singular red dot that seemed to follow him around. His eyes widened, he remembered that shield.

"The poisoner returns," he said simply, scowling at the sniper. His people had almost been destroyed when the World Tree was afflicted with that man's terrible poisons, if it had died, then all of Vriksha would've been left to fend for itself against the dangerous beasts of the lands, and the kingdom would've been plunged into darkness. He'd thought his chance at revenge was long gone, turns out he was wrong, which brought the barest ghost of a smile to his face. Thinking quickly, he made up his mind on what to do, whether he like it or not, the World Tree was his top priority, and the man would not destroy it, he wouldn't even get close so long as Lance was there.

"Drevas, you wanted me? Then I want you to give me your very best shot, give me all you've got, I can handle it, just give me the power to kill that man, and you can have whatever the hell you want." He felt the foreign presence in his mind that was Drevas give off a wave of perverse delight at his request, at finally being offered the chance to bring low so mighty a warrior, and soon the power flowed through him.

He wanted everything the Demon Pike could give him, and it held no punches. He cried out as the skin that had been shifting and changing all at once receded, giving him a solid view of his own arms again, for the first time in months it felt like. Every bit of foliage that had surrounded him seemed to recede, dissolving around him, and only causing the lance to glow brighter with each passing moment, Lance closed his eyes. His body exploded with power, green light radiating off his form as the branches of Drevas blasted forth from the spear, constricting the arm that held its handle until it was completely unrecognizable. Drevas itself seemed to nearly double in size in his hands, old Vrikshan runes began glowing along its surface, the vines and wooden limbs unrelenting as they burrowed and rooted into the ground at his feet. Wrapping all around him, they all strained wrapped around and behind him, rising up and over his head and connecting in an enormous wooden bulb-like structure, taller than he was, the pale blue light pulsed from within occasionally, as if it were some great, beating heart.

He felt strong, stronger than he had in all his life, all the other moments that he'd called upon Drevas paled in comparison to this moment, but it was worth it, that sniper wouldn't even see it coming. His senses were crystal, his vision sharp, he could make out every groove and curve of the shield that his assassin hid behind, tightening his grip around Drevas, he readied himself. With a titanic burst of energy, he swung his arm, and willed Drevas outwards. The Demon Pike shot from his arm like a cannon blast, more vines and tree limbs grew along the path it traveled, thickening into one single, enormous branch as it went, flying true on its course for the sniper. The man never even saw it coming, Drevas punched straight through the center of the shield, piercing the center of his chest and slamming him into the ground several feet back,

It drank greedily of the life force of its newest kill, fueling itself, in seconds all that remained of the sniper was the midnight armor that he'd worn. Drevas appeared in Lance's opposite hand in a small burst of green light, and all at once he felt the toll of the attack rip through him. He sank to his knees as the wooden heart over his head grew in size, thick, sturdy branches that could easily be mistaken for whole trunks sprouting forth and shooting off in all directions, some even finding themselves wrapped around the limbs of the World Tree itself. He couldn't get back up to his feet, such was the sudden strain, and he only sank lower as even more began to sprout, filling his nostrils with the sharp scent of chopped wood. He sighed, this was to be the end of him then, there was nothing else for it, he'd given into Drevas one too many times, and now he would pay the price, at the very least he did so, defending his beloved home one final time.

"Hero of Vriksha, that was truly remarkable." Lance craned his neck up to see a man approaching him, a knight, judging by the look of his light plate armor. He couldn't muster up the energy to even move his arms again, let alone do so with intent to harm the man, so, with nothing else for it, he addressed the man.

"Who are you?"

" I am known as Ark, my friend, and I come bringing glad tidings." Lance's pained expression softened at the man's words, his enthusiasm was infectious, a welcome respite from the self-imposed exile he'd placed on himself for all this time. " You see, I don't know what to make of it, but last night I received a vision, a vision straight from our high Lord Lucius!" Lance smiled, the man was a nut, but it felt beautiful to have any company at all at the moment, and besides, the man's voice held a soothing warmth, he felt himself drifting off even now to the mere sound of it. " He told me to come here, to the heart of the continent, and I would find a man there. I didn't believe it until I saw you with my own two eyes, and lo and behold it's the man that saved all of Vriksha countless times already! What an honor it is to meet you sir truly!"

"Yes, thank you, Ark," Lance responded weakly,

"Lucius told me that I would have to tell you this, 'with what you've accomplished here today, believe it or not, you've just ended the war my child. The people will flock from the gods to live in harmony once again as their leaders fall. You can lay down your burdens now, and be at one with the clay from which you rose in this world, return to it, so that countless new generations may be born under your eternal watch, for it is their lives that you have saved today.'"

Lance was crying by the end of the man's speech, nutty or not, even if they weren't true, those were exactly the words that Lance needed to hear at that moment, for the first time since he'd laid his hands on Drevas as a child, he no longer felt its weight bearing down on him, nor its corrupt essence floating around his mind. Closing his eyes at last, he allowed himself to fall to the sweet embrace of sleep.

…

Ark smiled at the green-haired fool, watching with delight as the Demon Pike consumed him, this had been easier than he'd thought. He imagined that he would have to contend with the full wrath of the forest, but all he needed were a few simple words and the Hero of Vriksha had fallen for it, simply given up. He watched for a moment as the beating wooden heart that had been steadily expanding over Lance's head began to rise, taking its place at the center of an immense tree that was swiftly taking shape around the dying hero's corpse, one that dwarfed even the World Tree, reaching well above the tallest canopy in sight, a wicked thought struck Ark, he smiled, leaning in closer to what still remained of the Earth Legend, he whispered.

"No matter what you've done for this land, little hero, it can be undone in an instant, now that you've passed from this world, I will make sure that both you and your beloved World Tree are burnt to the ground, and that the entire kingdom comes burning down around you." Willing forth some of the powers that had already been bestowed upon him by Lucius for his work with the first two heroes, Ark conjured a small, perfect white flame in the palm of his hand, kneeling down, he placed it at the base of the newly sprouting tree as the last of Lance was finally swallowed up. The flame sputtered, caught on the wood, and within seconds any flames that touched the bark were extinguished, leaving only the small orb again. "What?" Ark watched as again, the flame caught on the tree's wood, grew for all of two seconds, and were all at once smothered, Quickly realizing what it was, rather than become enraged like he thought he would, he chuckled. The Demon Pike's supposed, 'limitless supply' of energy sustained the tree that it created, guarding against any and all harm that should come to it. Unfortunately, with its host now completely drained of his life force, its energy now very much did have a limit, and one day, that tiny, adorable little ball of flame, would catch, and the Lance would be unable to quench the fire that ensued. For now though, it stood simply as a decoration, a reminder of the man who had perished here today,

"Three down. Only three remain, soon, all the power I could ever want will be mine to command."

**...**

Day 3, done! I'm on a roll! As always, please do leave a comment, anything at all you want to say whether you liked it or hated it, who's your favorite starter, I got two ears and I'm ready to listen to what all of you have to say. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in tomorrow, for Day 4 : The Thunder King's End.


	4. The Thunder King's End

**Oh dear Lucius this is getting difficult XD Good day again everybody, I'm here to bring you day 4 of my little Lore-cathlon, and let it just be said that making the decision to write, edit, and publish these chapters all the day that I post them without pre-planning (hence the consistent 11:30 releases) is an extremely taxing task. But, I'm having loads of fun with it, and I hope you all are two, so, enough of my rambling, I'm here to bring you everybody's favorite idiot...**

**ENJOY! DAY 4 ~ Eze**

The Thunder King's End

The God's Army had landed in Atharva, and they'd brought an aquamancer.

The docks of the capital city were under siege by the full force of the God's Army's navy; all prize ships from their capture of Sama's capital months previous. Their beautiful, royal blue hulls were dotted with heavy cannons, each attempting to turn about so that they could shower the city with their massive firepower. The Atharvan soldiers streamed onto the piers, attempting to secure the port; laying down explosive charges in the waters of each of the bays, picking off whatever enemy soldiers attempted to disembark, and trying to evacuate the citizens who yet resided in the buildings around the port to prevent them from incurring any damages.

They fought a losing battle though, the Aquamancer was in her element, able to manipulate the ocean waves at a whim it seemed. Standing atop the figurehead of their flagship, the S.S.S Eve, she struck a terrifying figure, her mastery of the seas ensuring that nothing so much as got close to her ships, and effectively doubling the range of their attacks. The tall staff she held was the immediate tether she had to the water around her. A brief shake of the staff and a monstrous wave swept upwards, onto the streets above, swallowing an entire unit of men into the sea, their screams quite literally drowned out. Whether they like it or not, the Atharvan forces were fighting a defense, for the first time in their history, and it was against an enemy that they couldn't drive back, for every single man was willing to fight to their death, would gladly lose every single man to appease the gods. Things were certainly not off to an auspicious start, but they day was still young, and both sides still had a full deck.

"DAMMIT MAGGOTS! Don't they know that storming beaches is OUR thing!?" The Gilded General himself oversaw the battle, being the most experience naval tactician in the Six Continents after Mega. The only problem, they couldn't get any boats in the water! With the enemy ships all biding their time, safetly out of range of any grappling equipment, there was nothing the Atharvan forces could do to hit them, their only means of transport would be to manually swim, and that was a death sentence. They needed a distraction, and they needed one badly, that infernal woman would tear through them like flies at this rate. But the bulk of their forces were occupied defending the main city gate from the land invasion, Emilia could hold her own but...they needed more people, right now, he needed heroes.

…

Kuhla smiled to herself, pleased that her plan was falling into place. Her scouting of the Atharvan capitol had proved useful, their forces were in no way prepared for so brazen an attack on their own soil, let alone a joint naval and ground assault. Cackling wickedly, she drew a pattern in the air with her staff, sending another tidal wave slamming into the shore, washing away half a dozen men and tearing the supports free of one of the closest buildings, causing the masonry to crumble and collapse onto the pier. As long as she could bide her time and deal with any surprises that the Atharvan's had to throw at her, then she could draw out the Thunder King. She remembered the man well, she'd encountered him often enough around the city before she'd joined the God's Army; a pugnacious fool, always looking for a fight to be had, never using his head, that he survived this long in the war was nothing short of a miracle she imagined.

"ALRIGHT YOU LOUTS! UNVEIL THE WRATH OF CARDES!" The men aboard the Eve began scrambling below-decks to where the cannon was located. The few that stayed on deck began moving around heavy chain links, struggling to pull them taught as the mighty gun was brought into place and needed to be supported. The sea serpent that was the ship's figurehead promptly divided into two sections, opening up to push out the heavy cannon. It's slick electric-blue barrel was daunting, especially since it jutted forth from the sea serpent's fangs, Kuhla's smile widened. The cannon had several chambers that progressively steadied the enormous cannon ball it would hold inside, pressurizing it far beyond the means of a traditional gun, and she'd seen the resulting blast tear clean through a castle wall in Sama.

"Commander Kuhla! Miss! We've got flyers approaching fast from the east!" The brutish red-headed sailor handed her a spyglass, which she took angrily, displeased at the prospect of enemy reinforcements. The man was right though, at the sea's horizon she could make out two forms rapidly approaching, two sets of wings, one gold, one every hue of red under the sun it seemed. Gritting her teeth, she turned to face the new threat approaching, an enormous red phoenix and a shimmering gold thunder bird, responding to the distress of their homes it seemed, She'd make short work of them.

Pulling a short knife from her boot, she cut the rigging near her, riding the rope upwards towards the crows nest, savoring the sudden burst of cold air that flew back in her face as she released the rope, sailing outwards over the sea. The phoenix didn't even see her coming as she plummeted from above, landing on its back with a flourish and a satisfied cry of triumph. Grabbing a handful of the beast's feathers, her stomach lurched as it did a sudden corkscrew in midair to shake her off, but she held firm, barely. At the very least, it missed its target due to her interference, a fireball burst forth from its beak and sailed harmlessly over the fleet. Raising her staff up high, she manipulated the waters below to a geyser, which burst upwards and struck the phoenix's underside with tremendous force, knocking it off course with a shrill, ear-splitting cry. Willing the tides to the form of two enormous hands, she used them to grab hold of the bird's wings, drawing them taught against its back, turning the beast into a sudden nosedive a good thousand paces out from their ships. Holding the shape of the arms in the back of her head, Kuhla exerted herself further to churn the waters below them, quickly whipping up an ominous-looking whirlpool that churned and frothed with choppy waters; a foreboding, watery grave just waiting to swallow the phoenix whole. Leaping off its back at the last second, Kuhla watched the beast plummet directly into the center of the pool, with a dramatic wave of her arms it collapsed on itself, burying the bird forever.

With at least that annoyance out of the way, she summoned a small geyser to break her fall in midair, then forced it to move forward, driving her rapidly back towards the Eve. Several men peaked their heads overboard, clearly overjoyed to see her riding back triumphant, cupping her hands over her mouth, she called out her orders before she'd even reached the ship.

"FIRE THE CANNON!"

…

"Weiss, Phoenix is down! What the hell do we do now!?" One of the men asked, a nervous wreck at the sight of the supremely powerful aquamancer's strength. Weiss slapped him, furious at the man's doubt, and how justified it was at this point.

"Ardas can still pull through for us! Don't doubt my birds maggot! Get back to your post, make sure no man sets foot on these docks! ATHARVA WILL HOLD!" He shouted the last part loud enough that all of the men around him could here, and they let out a war cry in response, rallied by the sound of their dear commander's voice. The Aquamancer had thankfully been distracted long enough by Phoenix's noble sacrifice that they managed to successfully man and set to sea one of their ships. A unanimous cry of delight went out from all the men as the **A**tharvan.**S**ailing.**S**hip,Destroyer sailed out into into the arbor with a boarding party. At the same time however, a sudden clanging sound resounded over all the sharp cries and raging waves that had flooded the battlefield with sound, all eyes turned towards the S.S.S Eve. It was preparing to fire from the enormous cannon that it had mounted on its figurehead, and from the sheer depth of that sound, it had a VERY big round aimed at them.

A very faint voice suddenly hit Weiss' ear, it sounded like he was catching the end of an echo down a mine shaft. Turning on his heels, he came face to face with...armor, and lots of it. The walking armor wrack reached up and removed its helmet, revealing a sloppy mop of jet black hair, and a broad face glistening with sweat. Commander Darvan was a Vrikshan general who's troops had taken refuge in Atharva when their kingdom was overrun, he was...an interesting character to say the least, swaddled in his suit that nearly tripled his apparent size.

"SACRED SHIELD DARVAN, REPORTING AS PER INSTRUCTED! HOW MIGHT I BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU COMMANDER!?"

"Oh er, em. Darvan, so good of you to come I uh, oh Lucius is it really necessary that you wear so much armor man? You look like you're roasting in it." Darvan stiffened in response, beating a metal fist to his breastplate.

" BUT OF COURSE COMMANDER! I NEED TO WEAR A SECOND PROTECTIVE SUIT OF ARMOR OVER MY OWN ARMOR SO THAT IT DOESN'T GET DIRTY OR INCUR ANY DAMAGE! VRIKSHAN GENERALS MUST ALWAYS BE PRESENTABLE!"

"Okay okay man! Do you always need to scream everything?"

"WHAT!?" Weiss sighted, these were the men he worked with...really?

"Okay Darvan, I need you to stand right where you're standing, MEN! FILE BEHIND DARVAN HERE!" He barked at the soldiers around him, they were all too eager to acquiesce. Taking the helmet from Darvan's hands and slapping it back on the man's head, Weiss ducked behind the enormous plate armor, and watched.

The cannon lurched, a blinding white flash igniting as the cannon ball, that was as tall as Weiss was, rocketed out at them. It slammed into Darvan with a sound like a gong, though the Vrikshan didn't even seem fazed as he was subsequently dragged back by the sheer force of the cannonball, gliding over the cobblestone streets until his back hit the building behind him, then, with a heavy lurch, he shoved the projectile off of his person with a single hand, it landed with a thud, forming a small crater on impact.

"is there anything else i can do to help sir?" Weiss caught that echoing sound again, he motioned for Darvan to remove his helmet, which the general did, before repeating himself. "IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY I CAN BE OF SERVICE SIR WEISS!?

"No, that'll do Darvan, I think we're quite alright here, thank you for your assistance."

"ALWAYS A PLEASURE SIR!"

"Yeah yeah, just go and help Emilia Darvan, I'm sure she can use all the help she can get." As the squat general jogged away, his heavy armor clanking an ungodly amount as he went, Weiss sighed. "Where do we get these people, honestly, where are the heroes among you maggots!?"

"Did somebody call for a hero?" All the men turned to the source of the new voice. On the rooftops above them stood a lone figure, silhouetted against the light of the sun, the man leapt down from his perch to greet them, and was promptly flattened into the side of the building by a cannonball.

…

All the men aboard the Eve roared with laughter alongside Kuhla as the stray cannonball she'd tried to fire at the enemy commander strayed violently off course and nailed a falling man in the chest.

"Excellent shot commander!"

"Yeah! I didn't even see him, that's some damn fine shooting! No wonder they put you in charge."

"Yes thank you, thank you boys, I take full credit for that, I just couldn't do with that kind of an eyesore on our new docks. Speaking of which, I think it's high time that we stop waiting and start shooting if we want to draw that coward Eze out of hiding eh? Who's with me!" The men around her cheered, cracking her neck, Kuhla prepared to move back out onto the deck and really begin the show. "Give the orders to the other ships to move into position to bombard the city, fire as soon as they're in position!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Strolling out onto the upper deck of the Eve, Kuhla stood atop the figurehead once more, holding her arms out for all the Atharvan forces gathered to pay her heed.

"SOLDIERS OF ATHARVA! YOU HAVE PRECISELY FIVE SECONDS TO BRING FORTH THE SELF-PROCLAIMED THUNDER KING EZE, BEFORE OUR FLEETS BEGIN TO TEAR YOUR CITY ASUNDER! MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELVES, WE'LL FIND HIM ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, EVEN IF WE NEED TO LEVEL YOUR ENTIRE KINGDOM TO FIND HIM. FIVE!" Her first mate beside her raised his right hand to signal the fleet to hold their fire. "FOUR!" The air itself stilled as the moment dragged on, seconds felt like hours to all the fighters on both ends of the battle. "THREE!" The seas in the bay calmed in an instant, plunging the battle into an eerie, complete silence."TWO!" The man who'd been flattened into the side of the building suddenly broke off, falling ungracefully towards the ground below, the cannonball trailing behind him. "ONE!" Suddenly everything exploded into motion.

The golden bird from earlier suddenly swooped down and caught the falling man on its back, with a wing-beat like a thunderclap it rocketed over to the Eve, depositing him on the middle of the deck of the Eve. Reacting instantly, Kuhla made a clapping motion and two pillars of water shot up onto the deck and collided with the bird, preventing its escape. Tightening her hands into fists, Kuhla bent the water inward, forming a small orb around the bird that slowly rose in pressure, constricting the beast, snapping several bones as the pressure continued to build without relenting. Reacting to the bubbling cries of anguish from the bird, the man it had dropped off leapt to his feet, wielding an enormous sword easily twice his height, he leapt up into the air and stabbed at the aquatic prison, shearing through the bubble instantly, causing both the water and the bird within to fall unceremoniously to the ground with a sharp crack.

"I am the great and powerful Eze! And I've come to rescue my friends evildoer!"

"You're an idiot," Kuhla said simply, glancing between the yellow haired dolt with a cannon-ball sized bruise on his chest and the thunderbird with all its bones shattered, taking up perfectly good tanning space on her ship.

"I'm an idiot with a sword," he corrected. Kuhla sighed, yes, this was most certainly the idiot she was looking for, no man in all of Grand Gaia could be quite so dense as this one. "Now, where's your commander? I'm ready for a fight!" Electricity cackled over his muscular frame as he cracked his knuckles, brandishing his fabled thunder sword, Batootha, a fierce grin breaking across his scarred face.

"I'm right here moron." Eze looked at her, cocking an eyebrow, all the bravado instantly gone from his demeanor, the ghost of a smile played over Kuhla's face.

"Y...you? B..but you're a woman.." The dolt stammered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Kuhla smiled wickedly, casually strolling over to his side, tousling a single curl of her bright violet hair around her finger.

"Is that a problem, big boy?" She teased, chuckling gleefully as she watched the man nervously pace backwards, away from her, she followed at the same pace, giving him her very best bedroom eyes. He turned absolutely crimson.

" N..not at all ma'am, just that I uh...I don't think that I can uh.."

"Don't think you can what?" She asked him, following close enough that she could trace a single delicate fingernail along the chiseled muscles of his exposed chest.

"I don't think I can...fight a woman,"he gulped, Kuhla giggled delightedly.

"Awww, you big softie of a man," she leaned in close, close enough that her hot breath poured over his ear, "it's a shame, because I have no problem with doing this." She drew the knife from her boot, plunging it into the center of the bruised area on his chest, causing him to double over, she kneed him in his forehead as it came down, using her staff, she pulled out his legs and flipped him over the side of the railing he'd backed into, bashing his head against the prow of the ship on the way down, before flopping into the churning waters below. "Oh no you don't you're not getting away from me that easily you little punk."

Tapping her staff to the wooden deck beneath her feet, the sea seemed to suddenly reject the offering it had been given, and a wave was formed that dwarfed even some of the smaller ships in her fleet rose up, ferrying the wounded hero at its peak. Turning around, she quickly motioned to her first mate to give the signal to begin firing on the city; they had what they needed, no need to keep up false pretenses anymore. As she heard the first distant cannon roar it's powerful song, she leapt over the railing, pulling forth a much smaller wave to ferry her alongside the one that carried Eze, taking it all the way to the docks.

The monster wave batted aside scores of men in its raging path, slamming Eze straight into the ground once it had sufficiently parted the sea of men in its path, forcing the air out of the hero's lungs and replacing it with water as the wave continued to rain down on him, crushing him into the hard cobblestones. Kuhla surfed by, stepping gingerly from the water to stand beside the man as he was buried by the sea. Dissatisfied with her handiwork, she decided she could do better than that, she lifted the water back up, carrying Eze with it, and rammed him into the side of another building, before pinning him there by crystal blue shackles. Turning, she spotted that infernal dingy that the Atharvan's called a flagship, the A.S.S...gods did they really write that on the side of a boat? Animals, every last one of these idiot men. Using all her strength, she manipulated the ocean, conjuring up a fountain of water that put all the others that day to shame, lifting the vessel straight out of the sea. She stepped back from Eze, not willing to risk being caught by the beast she was about to slay him with, and she snapped her hand forward. The Atharvan ship flew forwards, covering nearly a mile of open water in mere seconds, flinging men off of its three decks left and right, there was an enormous cracking sound, and the building she'd chained Eze to cracked and gave, collapsing beneath the titanic weight and carrying him further up the road, straight through another two buildings before the ship finally shattered, throwing up a smokescreen of wood chips and sawdust.

…

_Okay, that might've hurt...just a little bit_, Eze thought with a grimace, his body having gone numb after the wave had initially driven him into the ground. _She means business, okay, if that's the case, let's talk business, Batootha, I need ya buddy_. Grabbing hold of the Thunder Blade's hilt, he felt its power course anew through him, he would need a lot to fix himself up, and then he'd show that woman a proper Eze beat down, if she wanted to fight dirty, then she forfeited all rights to a nice Eze today.

Sensations exploded across his body now, shifting immediately from numb to completely electrified, every nerve charged with frantic energy that just made him want to go wild. His muscles tightened and his vision sharpened, no longer did the rubble of the Atharvan flagship hold him down, now, it was merely a hindrance. He simply had too much frantic energy now to stay still like he was, so he burst into motion, flinging the rubble off him in a grand burst of electric power. Spotting the aquamancer some distance away, he dashed at her, clearing the distance in bare seconds, and slamming his beefy shoulder into her small form, she emitted a bare squeak of surprise in response.

"How are you still ali-" And that was as far as she got before he slammed her into the metal doors of one of the docking stations, knocking the wind out of her.

"I'll teach you not to mess with The Idiot of Atharva!" Wielding Batootha with far more ease than he ever had before, one handing it in fact, he rammed it through her small chest, piercing all the way through her and through the door as well, pinning her up to the station wall to hang there, lifeless now. Eze panted, the adrenaline rushing out of him all at once, he swiftly realized that the city was still very much under fire from the incoming fleet, and he'd just murdered a woman in cold blood. "What have I done…" he breathed, his heart hitching in his chest suddenly.

Frantically, he tore Batootha out of her small body, holding her tenderly in his arms and fleeing from the battlefield, amid the protests of the few soldiers that remained in the fight after the girl had torn through their ranks. He took her to a nearby alley, safely out of range of fire so that he didn't run any risk of her body receiving any further injury. At the sight of her and the damage that he'd done; a clean slice straight through her chest, which left her insides exposed to the world, his heart dropped through his chest and burned a hole through the earth. "Oh god, I'm so sorry miss...I don't even know your name!" He slammed his fist into the ground, cursing his incompetence, how often had the people around him told him that he needed to use his head before he acted? And still, he didn't listen to them…

"Kuhla….no." Eze whirled around, tears in his eyes as he leveled Batootha at the newcomer, who held up his hands. He was dressed in simple armor, his brown hair hanging messily about his face, he looked as if he'd been sobbing. "Kuhla, oh Lucius...I'm so sorry Kuhla…"

"Wh...what do you know about her uh…"

"Ark," the man sniffled," my name is Ark, and this woman saved my life a few years ago, towards the start of the war I'd been mortally wounded by a group who'd come to desecrate a temple to Lucius, I was one of the acolytes there. Kuhla found me, the only surviving member, and nursed me back to health...I hoped that one day I could return the favor but...oh gods, I told her not to get wrapped up in this God's Army nonsense, I told her not to, but she didn't listen to me…" The tears were streaming steadily down Ark's cheeks now, Eze felt his heart break at the sight, he'd just taken the poor girl from this world, and already his actions had caused somebody unfathomable pain.

"Sir I...I'm sorry, I don't know how to put this but...I-"

"Oh I know Thunder King, she was sent here to kill you, I don't blame you for it….but that doesn't change the fact...that I have to fight for her, she did the same for me, and if I could not save her life…..then I shall avenge her death." With trembling hands, Eze watched as the man fumbled with the sword at his waist, drawing it and holding it unsteadily in two hands, the blade was only meant to be held with one…

"No...no Ark, I can't allow you to do that, I would slaughter yo-"

"I CAN'T JUST SIT IDLY BY THOUGH! EVEN IF IT MEANS MY LIFE, I MUST DO SOMETHING!" Ark charged at him, swinging wildly, Eze gave him a sad look, realizing what he had to do. He caught the knight's sword arm easily, prying the blade from his grasp with ease, he moved Ark away from him, offering a broad, woeful smile.

"You can't Ark, after all…" He took Batootha in both hands, turning it in towards his own chest, winking at the bereaved soul. "Only I can defeat my own self…" And he ran himself through.

…

"Hehe, he really is an idiot, you were right Kuhla." Ark stopped his flow of magic, ending the trail of water he'd conjured thanks to Selena's abilities, he wiped it from his eyes, thoroughly pleased with himself. Turning, he knely by the small girl's corpse, closing her crystal blue eyes and placing her hands over her heart. He was truly thankful for what she'd done for him, but that time was past them now, she had known what she was getting into, and he knew what he was getting into as well. And now, there was one less hero in the world, her efforts had seen to that, whether she knew it or not, she'd done Lucius and him a great service.

"Rest in peace little one. Four down, only two heroes are left alive, let's fix that.'

**...**

Day 4, get some! I'm reaching my stride now, gotta be said. And as always everybody, please do leave a comment, anything at all you want to say whether you liked it or hated it, who's your favorite starter, maybe you just don't like me, that's cool, I don't either, but do let me know, I'm always happy to listen. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in again tomorrow, for Day 5 : The People's Light Extinguished.


	5. The People's Light Extinguished

**Ahoy all you beauties! I don't know how I've managed it but I did, took me the whole day and I'm glad that I can share the fifth part to the Cross-Country Lore for Lyfe event (patented)And hey, it's not 11:30 yet! Oh but I'm rambling now, so without further ado, the people's hero, master fencer, Friar Boy...**

**ENJOY! DAY 5 ~ Atro**

The People's Light Extinguished

Atro's days of hiding had finally caught up with him.

Agni was under siege, the God's Army had stormed in, felling any who stood in their path. Their rules had changed, it wasn't about routing the enemy anymore, it was a purge, they didn't need anything form Agni like they needed ships from Sama, or the magical weapons from Atharva, and the footholds they both granted, they just needed Agni leveled. They wouldn't know that he was hiding out here, nobody did; word had spread like wildfire that the other heroes were being hunted, Agni's had been one of those unlucky four, and Atro couldn't risk losing himself when the people needed him now more than ever.

So Atro had secreted himself away into an old, abandoned barracks in one of the poorer city districts. Occasionally he would cast glances out through its windows, covered and obscured by damp moss that grew along the buildings ancient walls, careful that he wasn't spotted by any of the enemy soldiers. The city was burning, bright red and gold flames engulfed every roof of every building in sight, there were holes blown in the stone all over the castle at the city's heart. The putrid black smoke that was thrown up blotted out the very stars in the sky. The roads below ran red with blood, it was an unholy massacre.

"Papa Atro?" There was a sharp tug at his sleeve, he pulled back away from the window to see the small child, Caleb looking up at him expectantly.

"What is it child?" Atro wiped a streak of dirt from the boy's face, smoothing his greasy blond hair down and giving him a broad smile. In response to his question, the boy's twin approached, clutching onto his brother's arm and looking at Atro with his bright and fearful eyes.

"What's gonna happen to us? Are the bad men gonna take us away like they took mamma and daddy?"

"Don't worry Cecil, we're going to be just fine, I won't let them lay a finger on anyone here. So long as I draw breath, you'll be safe. Now, Caleb, take your brother and the two of you go get some rest with the others, I'll keep watch for any of the soldiers."

"Oh, okay Atro," they responded, saddened that they weren't allowed to stay with him.

Atro had begun evacuating citizens the moment the God's Army had arrived, fearful that this very thing, this massacre, would occur. Unfortunately, shortly after he'd gotten his first group out of the city, they'd moved in and attacked from the Southern gate as well, cutting off all escape. As such, he'd taken all those that he'd been able to save from that point on to this old barracks, being that all of the soldiers were already out on the front lines trying to repel the invaders, the enemy had no reason to go and sweep the building for stragglers, at least not yet, though he dreaded the moment that they would. Caleb and Cecil were the only children, he'd taken to them instantly, apparently they'd not been found when the God's Army dragged their parents away to kill them, something about them felt so, familiar to him.

At his side was a sleek black sheath containing a simple La Vedan sword that he'd used when he was still studying Vedan fencing under master Zelban. It had served him well, this much was true, but right now, it wasn't what he needed, against these tyrants, he wouldn't stand a chance armed with only the plain steel, so he prayed to whatever powers that remained on his side that they avoided this place like the plague itself.

Across his back was a large bundle wrapped in pink and blue silk bandages; the remains of the White Blade Urias. Try as he might, throughout the war he'd not been able to make it whole again, blacksmiths could only go so far, for fear that they would desecrate the handiwork of the gods, and it had consistently re-shattered nearly five times since the first. He had failed as a hero, he'd rallied the people but he failed in standing up for them, he didn't wield the power the other heroes had, his sword made him great, made him the Holy Light as they'd called him, but he didn't even have that anymore. The thought sank like a hot coal in his chest as he realised that he just lied to Cecil and Caleb, he couldn't defend everyone here if the enemy decided to storm in, they'd all be slaughtered before his very eyes, and he'd be completely helpless to stop them, armed with only a fencing sword. His breathing suddenly started coming in short, labored rasps, his heart raced at the implications, in a panic, he stepped forwards and checked out the window again.

And Atro saw...him.

That bright silver hair, and the single red streak that had graced it on the day when he'd come before the public and announced the king dead, and he his successor, though he'd cut it short since. The armor was the same he'd worn during their first and only battle, the same he'd worn when he shattered Urias. The Mad King Narza, leader of the God's Army himself walked down the bloody streets of Agni, seeming to all the world as if it were a simple spring evening and he was out for a casual stroll. Atro watched in horror as a man, dressed in dirty brown rags and wielding only a broken shard of glass, charged at the king, screaming at the top of his lungs. Narza had his sword out in the blink of an eye, chopping the hand that gripped the glass clean off, grabbing the crazed pauper by the throat, and eviscerating him, before discarding the still-living man to the side of the road like trash.

Atro wanted to hurl, all of those memories came flooding back to him, his soul crushing voice and the declarations that he'd made, that he was a traitor to the gods, that he was useless as a knight...and he was right. Atro hadn't been the same since then, while Narza had only grown in strength and prestige, Atro had wandered from place to place, a man without a home thanks to Narza killing or exiling all of La Veda's knighthood. And now he was back, back to finish the job, there was no other reason he would be here, the bulk of the Alliance's forces were engaging the God's Army at the other end of the world in Bariura, somehow, against all logic and reason, he knew that Atro was here, and by the end of the day, there would only be one hero left in Grand Gaia. He felt ill, heat suffusing his face and making his vision go fuzzy, his heart continued to pound its way in his chest, trying to shatter his ribs and tear through to the surface. He stepped away from the window, turning and settling himself with his back to the wall, placing his hand over his heart to try and steady it. he locked eyes with two young blond children, who gazed at him through the darkness behind an old weapons wrack.

"Didn't I tell you two to go get some rest? I don't need you two getting yourselves worked up, you'll be fine, don't worry." Having been spotted, Caleb and Cecil detached themselves from the stand, walking up to Atro, their eyes everywhere but on him.

"W..well we were gonna go to bed but, Caleb heard you start gasping and we wanted to make sure you were alright… we're sorry we disobeyed…"

"It's...it's quite alright children, to be honest I think I could use the company about now, I feel...I think I've seen a ghost." The boys' expression brightened instantly at the mention of any spectral encounters.

"Ooh, ghosts? Was it spooky? Did it pass through the walls? Did it have a scary face? Huh? Huh?" Atro chuckled at their enthusiasm, smiling broadly at them as he felt his pulse steady.

"No, no dears it's not that kind of ghost, and it doesn't do that kind of haunting I'm afraid, it's nothing to worry about though, like I said, it won't hurt you, it only wants me." The boys rushed forward, seeing the blood suddenly rush from Atro's face as he came to a realisation, they prodded him gently, begging a silent question. "Don't...won't worry about it boys...I just, I just realised what I need to do and, it's difficult."

"Ooooh, do you need to talk to a girl?"

"No Ceci-"

"'Cuz they're hard to talk to, they're icky." Atro laughed at the boys' naivete, ruffling their hair he looked both of them in the eyes, and explained it in the simplest terms.

"No boys, it's nothing to do with a girl, I only wish it were so simple. No, I just caught sight of an old bully of mine, he beat me up real bad a couple years ago, you two weren't even born yet at that point," Atro suddenly felt even worse, had the war really been going on so long that long that these children were already so grown despite having been born shortly after it began?

"Momma told us that bullies are bad people, she said there's no use for them in Grand Gaia, and that that's why we have heroes to stand up for us, heroes like you Atro!"

"Heroes...like me."

It struck him then why the boys looked as familiar as they did to him. Memories came flooding back to him, memories of his old home in the monastery, They looked just like the other boys he'd grown up with there, Marcus and Abel, on that day when they were attacked. A group of bandits had come, under the impression that the people of the monastery had been hoarding the money that people donated to them for themselves, when in reality they'd been using it to fund an orphanage in La Veda nearby. The brawny fire bearded men had cornered the trio, assuming that they'd head towards the city to call for aid. He remembered being utterly terrified at the sight of them, all bulging muscles and all hefting black axes that were bigger than any of the three children on their tip-toes. They'd huddled together, shivering in the cold air as they were dragged out to be sold off to a slave owner in the city, ready to accept whatever fate was thrust upon them,

Atro had realised something then, he had seen just how hopeless the situation was that they found themselves in, and he'd decided to do something about it. Because when people were being bullied, pushed around by bigger men who didn't want to do their own work, somebody had to step forward where nobody else would, somebody had to defend the little people of the world. And so, taking a nearby tree branch in hand, he began beating furiously at the men, weaving deftly through their clumsy attacks, the hulking men had folded beneath his attack like paper in the wind. All that muscle, those weapons, all their bravado, it had dissipated in a second, because they just expected to get their way, and he wouldn't have that.

Narza, he was just an older version of those bandits, and he'd been cowering with the people for far too long, somebody needed to stand up for them. He needed to be the sword of the people, to fight for them, because nobody else would, they'd all given up. Both the boys and he raised their heads as a white light suddenly engulfed the little small space they'd huddled into. The light was accompanied by a warmth, blooming from his back, Urias? Reaching back with trembling hands, he untied the cloth that held the bundle to his back, grabbing hold of it and bringing it forward so they could all see. Without a word, Atro began tearing at the bundle, ripping the cloth free as eagerly as a child unwrapping a gift. Beneath the bandages, the White Blade Urias was whole once more, very, truly whole.

It's blade was sharper, the gold runes that adorned its edges made far more intricate, and it GLOWED. Whereas before the blade had captured and reflected light brilliantly on the battlefield, now, it glowed with its own intense white light.

"Whoaaaaaaa…." Caleb breathed.

"SO COOL!" Cecil shouted in agreement.

"Yes," Atro gulped, surely a person's heart wasn't meant to beat so hard for so long, he was likely to have a fit at this rate, "very cool indeed."

With a shaking hand, he grabbed Urias by the hilt, and all suddenly seemed right in the world. The warmth that he had felt when he'd first touched the ancient blade returned to him, made him glow with power, filling him with confidence and happiness, it's light like the embrace of a mother or father to him. He looked at both Caleb and Cecil, then beyond them to the chamber beyond, beds lining both walls of the barracks all full of people desperately trying to drown out the foul memories and pain that the battle outside had brought them, and for the first time in a long time, he spoke with true confidence in himself.

"I am going to save every man woman and child here today you two, don't ever doubt that. Marcus, Abel, you're both right, there are heroes for a reason, and I haven't been a very good one, so I'm going to go face my bully, and I'm going to make sure that those bad people don't harm a hair on your heads!"

"Who're Marcus and Abel?" Realising his mistake, Atro flushed slightly, grinning despite himself at the old memories.

"They're old friends of mine, little boys just like you two. And they inspired me to fight as well, now," he gathered his flowing blond hair into both hands, for years now it had been kept unbound, ever since he'd lost Urias, and he'd lost the will to still think of himself as part of the monastery. But no longer, gathering up the shredded bundle, he grabbed a long cord of pink cloth, tying his hair end over end in a single long braid that hung down to his lower back. "Could one of you take this and put bind this up with a good solid ribbon?" Caleb happily leapt forward, grabbing hold of the cloth and busying himself with tying up the braid, with a cry of triumph, he pulled the ribbon taut, and the braid held. Atro smiled at them,"Now, I really want you two to go and get some rest with the others, I'll handle this." Standing, he made a dash for the door, opening it and shouldering his way into the burning city.

The two boys slowly walked over to the door after him, peering out into the night, both grinning from ear to ear, they'd just witnessed the rebirth of a hero.

"He's amazing!" Cecil told his brother.

" Yeah he is, what do you think mister?" Caleb asked the purple-haired man behind them, who had left his bed to go see what the commotion was about.

"Yes, he certainly is, I've got my work cut out for me it seems."

"What do you me-" The boys were both silenced in an instant as the man grabbed both of them by the backs of their heads and bashed their skulls together, they slumped into his arms.

"And that means that I'm going to need an insurance policy, sorry kids, nothing personal, it's just business."

…

"NARZA!"

The Mad King stopped in his tracks further up the street, an evil smile crossing his face. Turning on his heel, the knight faced him, brandishing steel longsword, assuming a ready stance. Face contorted in a mixture of fear and anger at the man, he charged, waving the newly awakened Urias over his head. Their blades clashed, and instantly the air was filled with the sound of metal grinding on metal. Narza fought a defensive battle, which was very different for the man's known fighting style, not that Atro minded the respite. Still, it seemed odd, while he certainly had grown stronger since their first encounter, the ever-pious knight still seemed to be striking with much less power, he didn't move with nearly the speed he originally possessed, there was something very wrong here.

He was holding back.

"Come on you coward! Fight me! What's the matter 'King' Narza?"

The man chuckled, batting down Atro's guard and looking the Hero of La Veda dead in the eyes, Atro gasped. It wasn't Narza. "Who are you?" The man shoved Atro away, pushing one hand through his silver hair, crystal waters running between his fingers, causing the color to bleed away, revealing a head of short, light brown hair.

"My name is Ark, Hero of La Veda I figured you would be here, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist a rematch with your better." Atro snarled at him, outraged, so this was the man who'd been killing off all the heroes, and he'd come out of hiding just to settle a grudge, idiot! He batted aside Ark's sword, swiping at the knight's throat, who retaliated by throwing a jet of water at his face, stunning him for a moment. With a wide sweeping gesture, Ark willed the flames from the nearby building's roof to come alive, "Now, I'm going to need you to be a good little boy, and lie down and die!" The flames struck down at Atro, who just barely dodged out of the way of being scorched, dodge rolling around the attack, coming up directly beneath Ark, he locked his knees beneath him, leaping up and bashing the knight in his chin. Staggering back, Ark tugged at his jaw, setting it back in place, massaging it at the sudden flaring pain, glaring at Atro, he laughed again. "Cute, and as much as I'd like to stick around and fight you, because with the way my power has been growing I would have you on your knees, begging. But, duty calls me elsewhere, so I need to make this quick, so, Kuda, the aces if you'd please."

"Aye sir Ark." Atro whirled about to see a tall, bronze-skinned man with violet hair gripping Caleb and Cecil by their hair, both of the boys swayed in his grip lazily, they'd been knocked unconscious it seemed.

"NO!" Atro lurched forward, his stabbing at the man.

"Uh uh uh, I'm afraid that that's cheating my boy," Ark grabbed Atro by his braided hair, yanking the hero back and grabbing him by the throat. Ark gripped his face making sure that the hero's eyes couldn't drift from the scene before him. "Now, Atro, I'm afraid that I can't let you interfere, you see Kuda's just made friends with these two little darlings, and I'd hate to see them separated."

"You're a monster," Atro hissed, his hiss turning into a shout of pain as he felt Ark's sword drag a bloody furrow along his shoulder, before coming to rest on his throat.

"No, you see Atro, I'm a miracle worker, I've managed to slay four of the six heroes of Grand Gaia, and once you and that lifeless suit of armor have been dealt with, well then, the war will finally be over, I'm going to be a hero Atro, a real hero, and Lucius and I will lead the world into a new age, so you, will drop the sword, and die, or these children do, the same with all those fellows that you have cooped up in the musty old hunk of rock you were hiding out in." Atro thrashed in his grip at the mention of all those people, sleeping soundly in the soldiers' beds, counting on him to keep them safe. Now it was Kuda's turn to laugh, it was an eerie sound, as his voice came out slightly muffled by the black cloth mask over his face.

"Actually Ark, they've already been taken care of, the dears won't be waking up anytime soon I'm afraid. I couldn't have them interfere while I observed my target."

_Oh that's it Kuda, I didn't think you'd actually do it, please, do go ahead, little Atro here is primed to do something quite rash. Here I was thinking I'd have to kill you myself once this was dealt with. _Atro bucked in his grip, but still didn't release Urias, but that was just something that he couldn't let happen, he wanted the Hero of La Veda to submit to him.

Atro, for his part, was enormously conflicted. He'd thought that he could just come forth and defeat his foe, but these weren't bandits, these were villains, they were smart, they were powerful, they were...they were better than him. And as much as he didn't want to give up now, after he'd been so prepared to put everything on the line, now presented with the opportunity to save them, he couldn't do it. He didn't want to die, but...Caleb, Cecil...Marcus, Abel…

"I'll never forgive you for this."

"Oh, poor Atro, so unoriginal, and here I thought this fight would be interesting. I grow bored of this, I am not so proud as to refuse your punishment until you submit, more's the pity." Ark angled his sword straight downwards, and plunged it downwards, through his shoulder and down to the man's heart. Atro coughed, stunned, his mouth twisting into an angry snarl, he hefted Urias in his hand, waiting until he felt Ark detach himself, before he leapt forward, throwing Urias like a spear. Spinning slightly in the air, the White Blade struck true, piercing Kuda's chest before he'd even registered the attack coming. Staggering back as Urias sunk to the hilt in his chest, he dropped the children to the ground, and collapsed alongside them, his blood pooling out around the wound to coat the stones beneath their feet anew. Coughing up a fist sized glob of blood onto the ground, Atro doubled over, his vision rapidly fading. Turning back around, he looked Ark straight in the face, and shouted out at him.

"If you are to bring the end to this war in my death...then may it bring a bright future for these children…" His eyes rolled back into his head, and the Hero of La Veda perished, his arm outstretched towards the children he'd given his life for.

"How poetic, I knew that you had it in you Atro. As for the brats, well, I'm sure I can convince my master to find some use for them once the rest of humanity has been dealt with, perhaps they'll be footstools, we'll think of something worthy of song for them, not to worry." Stepping away from the scene, he shifted uncomfortably, massaging his jaw. "Dear Lucius, this armor is uncomfortable, I'll change before I make my last stop.' He closed his eyes, taking a deep lungful of smog as the air burned around him, all was right with the world, he smiled. "Five down, soon, all the world will belong to Lucius, Magress is all that stands in my way now. It's time to return to Bariura."

**...**

Day 5, sorted! I'm actually quite sad that this is going to be over tomorrow, I've been having a blast with all this non-stop writing. Perhaps I'll do something like this again with another batch of units...hmm, I'll think about it. Well, as always everybody, please do leave a comment, anything at all you want to say whether you liked it or hated it, who's your favorite starter, do you like the sound of me doing something like this again, an every day posting session like this, if so, leave any ideas you may have for it, I'm always open to new ideas. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in again tomorrow, for Day 6 : Tearing Down The Wall Of Darkness.


	6. Tearing Down The Wall Of Darkness

**Good Almost-Morning to you everyone! Once again cutting it down to the wire, this one was a doozie for me, my internet has been down for the entire day so I had to type up this entire document in notepad (never again...) but, hours and hours and hours of copying and editing later, I finally have internet back for long enough to give you the final day my lore-xplanations (that was just bad, I know, but I'm tired XD) So finally, I present to you, my public, Magress The Tank Engine**

**ENJOY! DAY 6 ~ Magress**

Tearing Down The Wall Of Darkness

Ark observed the battle from on high, soon, the God's Army and that of the human's Alliance would bleed themselves dry, and lose their will to fight, and then Lucius and he would descend among them, and save them from this thankless war. All that stood between them, was one Hero, and one King. Shuffling his feet slightly on the mountaintop he found himself atop, he scanned the battle for any sign of the Dark Knight. He was the only obstacle between Ark and godhood, but of course the coward chose not only to hide behind a wall of steel, but an entire army as well. It was a good thing that they had the Mad King on the case then, even now he watched the silver blur whizzing around the battlefield, soldiers dropping left and right in his wake as he strove to eliminate core leaders in the Alliance forces.

To think, that by the end of today, all this would be over, all this fighting, that had spanned the course of nearly ten years, it was all about to grind to a stop, and it was all thanks to him. He'd need Lucius to grant him the power that he sought, and using that power, he would see to it that nobody opposed him ever again, not even the gods, not even Lucius…

"Ark"

The knight looked up from his reverie to find a small, green ball of light hovering before him; these he had continuously used throughout his mission to convene with Lord Lucius, they were miniature gates, opened anywhere in the world by the god's power so that he might speak with people.

"Lord Lucius, is there something you wish to discuss? I am hunting the Hero of Bariura as we speak."

"Yes, something has come up and it is imperative that we discuss it before you engage the Knight of Darkness."

"Ah, yes I don't believe that we've really discussed the terms of my payment, and of course being the considerate employer that you are, you wanted to discuss them now so that I don't feel cheated once I've completed my mission here and don't get a worthy compensation."

"No, do not test me Ark, now is not the time for that discussion, now I need to-"

"No, 'my lord', now is the perfect time to discuss this, unless you think that you can accomplish the task at hand yourself?" He chuckled, grabbing hold of the orb and grinning wickedly at it so that Lucius could see. A deep sigh echoed within.

"We can speak about this, LATER... Once you've finished your mission I will be perfectly happy arrange a better deal for your efforts."

"Why's it always later with you Lucius? Why must I always wait on you hand and foot, if you truly seek my goodwill in carrying this out, then grant me an advance, give me but a fraction of the power you've promised, and I will be content."

"LISTEN TO ME YOU INSOLENT GUTTER CHILD! I SHALL NOT BE MOCKED BY AN INSECT!"

"Ooooh, I struck a nerve, could it be that you don't even have the power that you've promised me? Perhaps I should inform the people that their precious 'Lord and Savior' isn't quite the ally they all think he is?"

"YOU DARE INSULT ME!? I AM LUCIUS! GOD OF THIS GATE!" The voice thundered forth from the orb, causing Ark's chest to rumble slightly with the force of it, so the god of the gates sought to play scare tactics?

"So you say, but you seem to forget that a gate is a two-way object." Ark's eyes began to glow, flashing swiftly between red, blue, green, yellow, and pure white as he summoned the powers he'd siphoned from the heroes he'd slayed already, pouring it through the orb in a single concentrated volley. A wail of pain echoed from the other end, far more significant than he imagined he would hear, it caused the grin on Ark's face to threaten to split apart. "Ah, HAHA! I see! You're wounded!" The accompanying silence to that statement was all the confirmation that Ark needed, he roared with laughter, tearing up as he considered the implications, he was very quickly going to become the dominant one in this contract. "Very well, let's hear what you need to say then, I'll allow you to postpone this conversation for later."

"Well…" Lucius was very clearly not pleased with the turn, particularly not that Ark was 'allowing' him to do anything. "There is a matter of issue with this final mission, this final assassin, the Mad King as they call him, he complicates matters here. Much as I would like to place my faith in him, I don't believe that Magress is capable of defeating this man."

"Small matter, I can ensure that he-"

"Nor are you Ark." The knight cocked an eyebrow at this, was Lucius afraid of this Narza character? "The man has been in direct contact with my enemy, Cardes, the mastermind behind the God's Army. By now he knows that you are my disciple, and what you're doing, and will have relayed it to this knight. Be cautious Ark, he bears the blade of Malda Zechs , and with it, his strength is tenfold that of any mortal man, if you were to engage him in single combat, you would lose, without a doubt. You need to-" But the voice was cut short as Ark crushed the tiny ball of light in the palm of his hand

"You seem to forget Lucius, I don't do single combat, not unless the odds are stacked in my favor, I'll make sure that he falls. Malta Zechs had one great weakness, if I can make him bleed, I will kill him."

…

"Lord Cardes, guide my blade!" The Mad King Narza bolted through the enemy ranks, hacking and slashing this way and that, no direction to his attacks, just trying to sow as much disorder as possible. The enemy was strong, but their morale teetered on the edge of shattering, they rallied behind the last remaining 'Hero', the Dark Knight Magress. Of course, the term 'behind' seemed very subjective, as the knight was nowhere to be found. The Alliance would lose this war, it was only a matter of time, but of course the knight refused to even stand behind his people in their final hours, the last battle they'd ever be fighting.

He wove his way through their ranks, attempting to weed out their commanders, he needed to find Magress as quickly as possible, so he needed somebody in the know about his location. Spotting a nearby man wearing the red and gold of command, he appeared before the man in the blink of an eye, causing the commander to jump with a very un-manly cry of fear, Narza bashed the pommel of his blade into the side of the man's head, knocking him out cold and ferrying him away from the battle, the exchange took all of a second, leaving behind a very confused, leaderless unit. Breaking free fromt he battlefield and getting a safe distance away from any possible fire that would come their way, Narza tossed the man onto the cold, dusty ground, and gave him a swift kick in the gut. The man's black iron armor splintered from the force of the impact, several shards of twisted metal working their way into his gut as he awoke, sputtering in pain.

"Good, you're awake, I have some questions for you."

"Pfft, good one," the man wheezed at him, his slick black hair matted with sweat, and his warm brown eyes held naught but contempt for Narza, " God's Army scum, like I'd tell you anything." Narza sighed, it could've been simple, he was feeling generous today, but no, they just HAD to be stubbornly resilient to the last.

"Oh don't be like that friend, we're both knights here, surely there is some brotherly trust here?" The man scowled at him, Narza cracked his knuckles, adding in a very low tone of voice, "I can be terribly persuasive."

"Right, what can you d-" With pinpoint accuracy, Narza delivered crushing blows to both the man's kneecaps, cracking his armor inward at both points, he screamed, Narza smiled. "Y..You can't break me, Mad King," he whimpered, "I will pass on to live with Lucius on the other side!"

"Oh no you won't," the deep, resonant voice of Cardes broke into the man's mind, making his eyes widen in fear.

"Wh...who're you? WHO SAID THAT!?"

"I am Cardes, master of this army, and let me personally assure you, you worthless little maggot, if you do not divulge all that you know to this man, I will personally attend to your eternal torment, I will shatter your soul, and ensure that Lucius dies in your heart, you will burn for all eternity, and rue the day that you sought to challenge the God's Army…" The small whimpers that escaped the man's mouth were like music to Narza's ears, as he knew then and there that he need only ask and the man would profess every dark secret the Bariurans had ever possessed to him, he had messed with forces well beyond his meager comprehension, and would pay the price if he fought them. Kneeling down, he bent down to be as close to the man's ear as possible.

"Tell me, where is Magress hiding?" The commander gulped, his voice scratchy when it finally came.

"He's..he's here with us, fighting, leading the troops.."

"Tsk tsk," Narza chided, " Oh I know you have impostors in your midst, men wearing armor like his to rally confidence , inspire false hope, but none of them wear his armor, because none of them are the man I am looking for. Now. Tell me . Is. Magress?" As Narza spoke to the man, he slowly brought his sword up, hilt first, hovering slowly up his body until it came to rest before the commander's eyes, the burning eye of Cardes glaring him straight in the face, Narza watched with delight as the color was leached from the man's face, sweat instantly beginning to pour down his face as he squirmed, with his free hand though Narza held him down, the superior strength the blade granting him easily outclassing the knight's, forcing the man to endure whatever torment Cardes was burning into his head.

"HE'S IN THE CITADEL! PLEASE! HE'S IN THE DAMN CITADEL JUST MAKE THIS STOP!"

Narza pulled his sword back, smiling down at the commander as if they were old friends sharing a joke. He patted the man's hairless face in commendation, like a parent lazily congratulating a child, then he stood, and walked away, leaving the crippled commander to find the Hero of Darkness. The Citadel of Bariura was an imposing black monolith at the far end of the field the battle was currently taking place at, it was where Narza had anticipated the Alliance would make their final stand, and for all intents and purposes, it still might be. Regardless, he would storm the Citadel, he would take Magress' head from his cold iron shoulders, and he show all the world the evidence, that their final leader had fallen, and that they had lost.

"Lord Cardes, I beseech thee one final time, for the blessed strength I require to finally purge the world of the darkness of sin that humanity has wrought upon the world you created, for the time of their reckoning is close at hand."

"Be cautious my liege, I sense a powerful presence on this battlefield, it is a foreign sensation, even to me. I believe this is the disciple of Lucius who has been eliminating the Six Heroes. I know not by what means he has managed to accomplish these feats, but I warn you, do not underestimate the threat that he poses, I fear his intentions span beyond the mere downfall of humanity, if he is anything at all like his master, then this man will be cunning without equal, he is manipulative, and his designs are yet unknown."

"Yes, Lord Cardes, rest assured, I will not fail you, I have come too far, one way or another, all this ends today."

…

"Yo, Mags." Magress shifted slightly, the heavy clanking of his armor accompanying it as he turned to see his lifelong friend, Eric, addressing him. " You sure you wanna go through with this man? I mean, it'll be hard, but we can have you moved from place to place, all over the world, they won't be able to find you, we'll make sure of it...you don't have to go through with this…" His tone was pleading, his thin fingers unconsciously plucking at the strings of the guitar in his hands, unintentionally letting forth a solemn, saddening tune into the dark hall of the Citadel. Magress regarded him tears in his eyes, not that his friend could see this though, nobody had ever seen Magress' face before, always locked up in his dark suit of armor, keeping him cold, and distant.

"I'm quite sure Eric...I would've thought that all of you would be dragging me away at this point, with how you say you so desperately need me, and you would just allow me to do this?" Eric smiled at him, his usual sad smile which you instantly knew held not a touch of happiness to it, but brightened your day anyway.

"Mags, you've been a hero, to all of us, you've been selfless and led us through all the hardships of war when nobody else would, much as we'd like you to go...we can't ask the world of you, if it is your wish to stay and make a final stand….then who're we to deny you your wishes." Glancing around him, Magress saw the other knights of his order nodding along with Eric, agreeing with his judgement; they'd relied on Magress for so long, they couldn't ask any more out of a man who'd given everything for their cause. He nodded to each of them in turn, steadying himself on his tower shield as he spoke.

"Then we stay," he stated simply, somehow keeping his voice level despite the emotion welling up in his face.

"SIR MAGRESS! SOMEONE APPROACHES THE GATES!" Their spotter shouted from the upper floors of the Citadel, before another word was even spoken the heavy footfalls of their titanic armored boots filled the hall with knights shuffling into a defensive position; a simple wedge, with Magress at the center of it.

"Some-ONE?" Magress asked, confused, he expected the enemy to find his location, but did they actually send a messenger out all this way? He imagined they'd just bring the entirety of their forces to the gates straight off.

Before he could finish the thought however, the massive wooden gates of the Citadel flew open, allowing sunlight to shower them from the outside world, if it weren't for the protective visors of their helmets, each of the men present would've been stunned as their roost of almost utter darkness was broken up. In strode a singular man, a knight by the looks of it, but they couldn't fathom where he had come from, the light plate mail over an orange tunic both bore a symbol of a crystal blade pointed down into the earth, an emblem they were all entirely unfamiliar with. He seemed entirely unfazed by the force arrayed against him, he didn't bear a satchel that would indicate he had a message to bear, the man was neutral, whatever he was.

"I had no idea I warranted such a grand welcoming committee, I'm honored oh Magress of Bariura."

"HALT! State your name and business here sir!" One of the knights called out to him, the man grinned.

"So formal, I like this! I am Ark, good sirs of the Bariuran Empire, and I have come for the one they call the Hero of Darkness." He moved to step forwards, deeper into the Dark Knight himself who towered over the rest of his peers, but his path was blocked as the front two knights crossed their halberds before him, barring his way. "Oh? Why the sudden shift in attitude my good men? Surely you don't think me a threat?"

"Sir Ark, we cannot allow you to approach Sir Magress, he is under our protection and no man, friend or foe, will go near him from this point onwards!" Magress shifted uncomfortably at these words, a shift that echoed with the thunder of a charging war horse given his armor, and that was all Ark needed to know, that singular movement told him everything about how he would stand victorious at the end of the day. The Hero of Bariura expressed discomfort at the mention of being protected, of other people being so willing to lay everything on the line for him, all the stress of leading his people throughout this war must surely be mounting on his shoulders, it probably weighed more to him than his own armor did. He didn't want to be protected, if he did, he wouldn't even be here at the moment, he'd probably be off on an imperial ship off to some remote island on the fringes of Grand Gaia, where the God's Army would never find him, no, the fact that he yet remained spoke volumes. So, Ark spoke to that Magress, that scared little girl inside of him that had been kept under the lock and key of a suit of armor and knights by the hundreds that defended him, when it was he who should've been doing the defending.

"My my, where did all the honorable men in the room go to huh? I entered here and got a very formal chat, that was good, but now you turn me away, a man who seeks only to converse with the hero? Why have an entire platoon of knights here defending him eh? Why not be out on the battlefield defending your countrymen as they're slaughtered by the hundreds? A true knight defends the weak, those unable to protect themselves, they are the heroes of the world, who set a shining example for those around them, Magress is quite clearly not weak, nor is he helpless, so what do you have to be afraid of? Me? A man that's come before you naked in comparison to the half of a castle wall that he wears? There isn't a lick of honor among you men if you rank your hero a higher priority than the stick and starving that throw themselves on the enemy blades as we speak."

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE KNA-"

"STOP!" _Ah yes, now I've got you now Magress_. "He is right...stand aside men."

"But sir!"

"Mags, don't…"

"STAND. ASIDE." Begrudgingly, every single man in the room obeyed the order; Magress, it seemed, commanded enormous respect among them. Ark strolled casually down the open row that they'd cleared for him, making sure to smile at each of the walking suits of armor in turn, sure that beneath those helmets they were all staring naked daggers at him. Standing before the Wall of Darkness, as he'd decided to call the knight, Ark extended an open hand in greeting, being sure to stand just far enough to hopefully garner a reaction. Magress tentatively placed down his shield, holding his hand out but, rather uncomfortably, realized that he couldn't quite reach with the heavy metal hindrance. Embarrassed, he tried to subtly inch forward to reach Ark's extended hand, only to have his armor emit a sound like dam bursting asunder at the movement, mortified, he hurriedly took Ark's hand and retreated back to his shield. _It's a hindrance isn't it Magress? What's a man like you got to hide from hm? _"What is it that you've come to me for, Sir Ark?"

" Sir Magress of Bariura," Ark began, stepping up to The Wall, " On behalf of my master Lucius, I have come for you life." Reaching up with his other hand, Ark wiped a heavy black paste along the lower edges of The Wall's helmet, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, Magress actually had to ask.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, I've come for your life, Sir Magress."

"What is it that you're doing?" The Wall asked, seizing Ark's hand and prying it from his helmet, still uncertain as to what the man's end goal was.

"I'm stacking the odds in my favor. You understand, it's like throwing all your men at the enemy first so that you're still fresh for battle when the enemy is wounded."

"You wish to stack your odds against me, Sir Ark?"

"Oh, not you dear, I already know I could take you. No I'm stacking my odds against a storm, don't worry, it'll batter you within an inch of your life, but you'll weather it."

"What're you-"

"SIR! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE APPRO-" Their spotter was cut short as he was, quite literally, cut short, the upper half of his body plummeting from the upper floors to land on one of the knights' heads, they all readied themselves again, turning this way and that to locate the threat, filling the hall with all the sounds of a full scale war as they clanged this way and that.

A streak of silver dropped from the ceiling, dropping a knight with it, the man was dead the second he hit the ground, the streak was mobile again before it'd even touched the floor, cutting down three more knights by running its blade straight through their enormous suits of armor like they were mere butter under a hot knife. The knights were actually incapable of even spotting the killer, their suits preventing them from moving their heads fast enough to catch a glimpse of him.

"Oh dear, and you've even gone through the trouble to line yourselves up for him, that's so sweet." Ark taunted them, carefully walking himself to the far corner of the small hallway, away from the ensuing carnage, where the newcomer wouldn't spot him.

"MAGRESS! I HAVE COME FOR THEE!" Came the booming voice of the attacker. Magress, and indeed any of the men present there, could do nothing about it but stand and watch as their fellows collapsed, one by one, not even a stain of blood to mark them being slain, so thick were their suits that not a drop leaked between the plating. "DO YOU TRULY THINK THESE SUITS WOULD EVER KEEP YOU FROM ME!?" The men were screaming, falling one by one as they were unable to move quick enough to see the man killing them, and as afraid as they were, none would choose to run from their brother in arms, so in turn, they each took their deaths bravely, but fruitlessly, as it did nothing to spare anyone the same fate, in minutes, the hall was silent, the bodies all forming a neat circle around Magress.

The streak finally came to a halt before Magress, a tall man in pure silver armor, hair like platinum that tumbled down over his face, and a single lock of crimson hair at the edge of his left eye, the Mad King. He grinned a wolf's grin to Magress, "Now that we have some elbow room, it's time we begin." Magress didn't even have a moment to react as the assault came instantly, Narza's blade coming in a wide sweeping strike that struck him right across the chest, his armor of darkness hissing and dissolving as the Mad King's blade made contact with it. He blocked the next attack with his heavy shield, a forward stab that sunk his blade a few inches in, before stopping, Magress pulled his other arm back to deliver a blow with his mighty lance Leomurg, but Narza was faster. He slammed his elbow into Magress' chest, and to his utter astonishment Magress actually felt the blow, while it didn't actually do any damage it shocked him long enough for Narza to pry his blade free and leap back into action.

His attacks were relentless, appearing and disappearing at a whim before Magress' very eyes, he was unable to counter, utterly helpless as he suffered a quick succession of slash wounds across his shoulder, leg, and stomach that were each skin deep at best. Narza stepped away from his opponent for a moment, easily dodging out of the way of the retaliatory stab from his opponent's lance. He was flustered, he'd struck at points that should have rendered the knight a helpless wreck for a man his size, where the hell was he in that suit of armor? Growling, he hefted his sword again, the point of it resting between his own eyes, the hilt pointed towards Magress, who gazed at the flaming eye at its center with fascination.

"Mine is the strength of Cardes! Kneel before me you insolent whelp!" The red veins that ran the length of the man's blade began to glow with an eerie light, a sudden wave of power seemed to engulf the room, tangible in the very air. Holding the hilt with two hands, Narza readied himself for a second offensive.

Magress felt these attacks.

The godly blade his attacker wielded now seemed possessed of a wholly new energy, where before it had pierced his armor, now it _sheared _it. He raised his shield to block an incoming slash, and was aghast when the upper half of the tower shield fell free, rendering it useless. Narza drove his shoulder into Magress' chest, actually forcing the knight back a step, before reaching around, driving his sword into Magress from behind, and this time felt the satisfying yield of flesh as his blade cut right beneath the hero's heart. The close proximity rendered Magress unable to use his lance to strike Narza, so he used his now free shield hand to shove the Mad King off of his person, gasping in pain as blade lodged in his back seemed to set his back aflame, he cried out, falling to one plated knee.

"MAGS!" Narza glanced to his right as he pried the blade free from the knight's back, a squat man with silver hair, a guitar clutched in his hands was rising up out of the pile of armor that the vanquished knighthood had become. He leapt at Narza, who cocked an eyebrow, dispatching the man with a casual flick of the wrist that carved out his throat, ruby blood spilling out over the ground as the body landed at Magress' feet.

"Eric…" Magress breathed, the sound reverberating in his helmet. Narza approached the Hero of Bariura, letting his blade drag menacingly along the stone floors, a harsh grating sound echoing as a result.

"Magress, of Bariura. By order of the gods, you, and all of your insurgent comrades, are hereby sentenced to death. I want to see your eyes when I tear your head from your shoulders you fool hero, so let's be free of this." Narza gripped the knight's helmet by its base, immediately regretting doing so. He leapt back with a hiss as the black paste Ark had applied ate through the skin of his hands. To any other man, it would only have been an annoyance, but to Narza...it was something else entirely.

He suddenly felt as if the fatigue of all ten years of this accursed war were falling on his shoulders at once, the holy strength leaving his limbs all at once, like a breath of life exiting him. In seconds he'd fallen to his knees, thoroughly winded, panting heavily from exertion that heaped itself on him. In mere moments, he'd become a mere husk of himself.

Magress, in contrast, rose up from his kneeling position, his own physical pain forgotten, all that was left was the hollowness of loss as his only true friend in the world lay dead at his feet. Not even stopping to say a word, his armor began to grow around him, his inner darkness growing nearly infinite, feeding the armor. He became immense, Leomurg growing in tandem, its dark powers nearing unparalleled heights. In a single fluid motion, he slammed Leomurg downwards, and pierced straight down Narza's spine, ending the Mad King of La Veda.

"Bravo, brah-vo dear Magress, glad to see you had it in you." Ark exclaimed, detaching himself from his little viewing corner and approaching the hulking knight.

"What did you do…." He sounded...disappointed...excellent.

"It was a contact poison, baru nut extract, makes for a nasty burn when you touch it, but that was all. His strength was an unnatural one, bestowed by a god who would withdraw his gift when his chosen were wounded in battle, he sought the utmost perfection in those he gave his power to. I knew that his hubris would demand he do something extreme like the stunt he pulled there, honestly the same result would've been achieved if he had so much as pricked his finger."

"But...then I had, nothing to do with this…"

"Correct Magress, just as always, you've hidden behind your armor, allowing it only to grow so that you could protect yourself, you've hidden behind your friends, you've hidden behind your comrades, and you've allowed other people to accomplish the feats that you are given credit for. How does it feel, 'Hero' of Bariura? Knowing that despite you being a knight, you couldn't defend any of these people? They truly were helpless, and in their moment of need, you let them be slaughtered, let them be your shields when they needed you to be theirs. What has that armor done for you Magress? Besides slow you down so much that it renders you incapable of protecting those you love? They say you've never been without it, I'd bet that you couldn't do anything without it, your armor has only grown with you and your hatred, and it will never not be a part of you, inseparable from your cowardice."

There was truth in Ark's words, even though he'd only just met the Dark Knight, he knew they were true, knew that this was exactly how Magress felt, he was afraid to face the outside world and all its dangers, he was alone without it. There was clear deliberation in Magress, the very way he held himself, fingers scraping at the stones of the floor as he curled his palms into fists, he felt weak, useless, perfect, he was exactly where Ark needed him to be.

"Perhaps I"ll just leave, the true might of Bariura has been crippled; the shields that the Great Magress stood behind all his life have been leveled, my mission is as good as done. Goodbye Magress," Ark turned to leave, moving towards the open plains, golden with sunlight, ready to collect his prize.

"WAIT!" _Checkmate._ " I challenge you Ark!" Ark quickly hid his smile, turning and cocking an eyebrow at Magress, began tearing at his armor. There was no finesse, no practiced ease to the way he removed it, he simply tore chunks of dark metal free from his person, flinging them off in random directions; he really had never been without it. Pulling his shoulder plates free, both arms fell away from his suit, revealing an unusually thin set of flesh and blood arms beneath. Reaching up, Magress tore his helmet off, freeing a head of the most unruly black hair that Ark had ever seen, it clung to his gaunt face, matted with sweat, and hung down around his shoulders and to his lower back. Next, he tore at the breastplate that held all the rest together, flinging it off of himself like trash, like any contact with his flesh burnt. All of it came clattering to the ground around him, revealing the tiny man beneath, barely taller than Ark himself was; raised up in a suit of his own hatred, one that he could move with ease, so in tune with his own despair and inner darkness was he. All that remained of the knight Ark had seen before, was the lance Leomurg.

"Well, an interesting turn of events. So, have at me then." He opened his arms, inviting the Dark Knight to do his worst. But Magress didn't move, his expression was, stunned to say the least, finally free of the prison of his armor, the freedom it allowed his limbs, the knight merely stood and marveled at it for a moment, shaking out each limb in turn as if he were flying, or part of a dream. He couldn't bring himself to move though, it was all too much of a shock to him, bearing himself like this, for the first time in his life since he'd shut himself away in that suit of his own hatred. Ark laughed. "All this freedom, all your life you wore that armor, and now you're free! And as such, you don't know what to do with yourself, pitiful Magress, this would've been a great stride in any other situation, but now, it is a useless gesture, because now-" Ark finished his statement by quickly drawing his blade and flinging it across the room. It whistled through the air for half a second, Magress' eyes following its flight, willing his legs to move, but he just couldn't, they wouldn't obey his commands, and so the sword punched straight through Magress' exposed chest, burying itself to the hilt. He didn't even have the energy mustered up without his armor to utter any final words, he simply collapsed, falling straight onto the corpse of the guitarist. Ark simply shook his head at the display, he expected more integrity from one of the Six Heroes, instead, he was just a figurehead.

"Pitiful...absolutely pitiful. Well Lucius, you're dirty work is done. And I do believe, that it's time I come to collect." So, gazing out towards the horizon, where the battle still raged on, Ark smiled. The sun cast its golden halo down on Grand Gaia, for the end of an era was upon them, and it was time to begin the new age. Smiling all the way, Ark began his trek to the heart of Bariura, where Lucius himself awaited the results of his operation. Soon, all his hard work would come to fruition...

**...**

And we're done! Well, this has been fun everybody! Thanks to any and all that've read it through all six days, from here I'm going to be continuing on with Zelnite and Narza's stories once they're all done (Which they're close to) as well as a few others I'm in the process of working on, and maybe, if you guys like how I did this, enjoyed the everyday posting, maybe I can do this again. Well, as always, please do leave a comment, anything at all you want to say I'd love to hear from you. Good Day, and Good Night.


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